Page 75 of Demon's Beauty

She giggles, and I pull her even closer as I open the first portal.

Soleil does much better with portal travel this time around. We take shorter jumps, stopping off at waypoints across the realm, pausing for a few minutes at each one for her to catch herbreath and for me to show her brief glimpses of the demon realm and all it offers.

Wide-open plains that stretch as far as the eye can see. Dense forests filled with conifers that reach toward the bright blue skies above. Rocky foothills as we get closer to the court, sloping up to the mountain where the demon kings have ruled for thousands of years.

Her eyes are wide as she takes it all in, her questions thoughtful and challenging to even my extensive knowledge of the realm. By the time we make it back to court, I wish I would have stretched our journey out even longer, had more time with her, because as soon as we arrive, duty calls again.

“I’ve gotta head down to Vayla’s workshop,” Soleil says as we pass through the court’s gates. “We’re getting the blooms into the next step of processing before they’re brewed into the fevercure.”

I nod, though I’m loath to let her go. “You know where to find me later?”

“The wing of rooms where Seren was staying, right? Where…” She trails off, cheeks heating.

“Where I was blessed by the Goddess to find my mate?” I helpfully supply.

“Where I reacted like an idiot and ran away from you, you mean?”

Tail around her waist, I tug her to me. “You eventually came to your senses.”

Her eyes sparkle as she gives me one last kiss then heads off to help Vayla.

I feel immediately bereft without her.

Nonsensical, given we’ve just been in each other’s orbit for the last week, but as soon as she’s gone, a hollow ache takes up residence in my chest.

More than a bit pathetic, actually, the way I’m tempted to follow her like a foundling, so I make myself stalk off in the other direction. I’m ready for a proper bath and a fresh set of clothes after a week of roughing it, but I barely make it into the Nighfall suite of rooms before a familiar voice calls out to me from the study.

“Finn, is that you?”

I roll my eyes skyward, but make myself answer. “Yes, father.”

“Come in here.”

He doesn’t even bother to look up as I walk through the door, head still down in whatever important papers he’s dealing with this morning.

“You’ve returned,” he says, not a question. “And you weren’t taken out by your first guard assignment, I see.”

“Not for lack of trying,” I say, with a sardonic lilt to the words and a twinge in my shoulder.

“Is what I’ve heard true?” he asks, finally looking up as his eyes rove over me, calculating and concerned.

Surprising, that he’d care I was injured.

“Yes,” I say a bit sheepishly. “There was a run-in with a drakon. I’m alright though, I—”

“Not that.” He waves a hand. “I’ve heard you have a human witch for a mate.”

Oh.

Not concerned, then.

Just calculating.

My father couldn’t give a single shit about me or my wellbeing, so I’ll be damned if he gets to know a thing about my mate.

“It’s not something I wish to discuss with you.”

He frowns. “I don’t care if you don’t wish to discuss it. This witch of yours, does she have connections with the queen? A relationship we could leverage to—”